


Draining The Ocean

by talon6142



Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, Healing, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:26:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29299620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talon6142/pseuds/talon6142
Summary: Basil didn't take the fallout of the confession well, falling into a deep depression. It's up to Aubrey to try to pull him out.- A bottomless curse, a bottomless sea, accepting off all that there is, and can be. -
Relationships: Aubrey & Basil (OMORI)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 93





	Draining The Ocean

**Author's Note:**

> yes that's a bloodborne quote what are you gonna do about it. this takes place after the good ending so spoilers

Guilt. The sole emotion that had followed Basil for what felt like his entire life... It was still there. The weight of what he did hadn't gone away, it was more like it had changed positions. Before, he was carrying it on his back. It was about to crush him. Now, he carries it in his arms, holding it out for the world to see. They all looked at it with disgust, confusion, anger... Maybe a tinge of things like pity, or sadness, but they were overwhelmed by the former group. Yet still, it was as if their acidic stares were melting the guilt's weight... Or helping to carry it. Something like that. Now, instead of solely guilt, Basil floats through a sea of sadness. A bottomless ocean. Any day now, and he would drown. 

It ate away from inside of him. As he'd stay in bed all day, wishing death would come to him and grant him peace. Unfortunately, he had no more garden shears. No rope. No chemicals he could ingest. He was on suicide watch, with Polly's unblinking eye binding him to the mortal plane. Despite everything he did to them, Basil had still hoped, in some warped corner of himself that his friends could still come together. A foolish, idiotic part of him. They don't even hate Sunny. Why would they? He just made a mistake. He was inside his house for 4 years, trapped in his own head, starving himself. Basil hung her. It was all his idea. Hero hated him for that. It was his fault that he carried his own guilt for so long... The guilt of not being able to "save" Mari. Someone that twisted didn't deserve forgiveness. Someone like that deserves to stay in their home and rot away for the rest of their life.

* * *

_Creak._  
_Creak._  
_Creak._  
Polly had made this trip to Basil's room multiple times. She had gotten good at avoiding the creaky spots on the floor, supposedly attempting not to bother the boy. She must have realized he didn't care. The creaking stopped in front of his door... Then began moving away. Maybe she finally decided he wasn't worth the effort, Basil thought. Maybe she would let him starve. His wishful thinking was cut short when he turned towards the door and noticed an envelope had slipped itself under the door and into his room. He stared at it for a while before summoning the willpower to walk out of his bed and pick it up. The envelope was decorated on one side with a pink heart. Basil used his nail to cut through the top and pull out a small note.

"Hey Basil. It's Aubrey."

He should've stopped reading. Aubrey gave him a note? She wanted to kill him, or something. Aubrey probably just wanted to let him know that she wants him dead. But he didn't stop reading. Foolish. Stupid. Childish. Things will never be okay again. He brought his eyes downward only to realize there wasn't much left to read. There used to be a long note, he could still make out some of the words, but it's meaning had been swept away by the brush of an eraser... And by the feeling of the paper, washed away by tears. What remained was obviously hastily scribbled down with poor handwriting.

"Just come outside and talk to me. I'm not good at this writing thing."

It was a trap, probably. He was counting on it. He was counting on Aubrey walking out from behind a tree with her bat, mercilessly beating him until nothing remained.

* * *

Polly was surprised to see him walk outside his room and past the bathroom. For the first time since he got back from the hospital, he walked through the doorway that separated the hallway from the living room and kitchen. Her surprise gave way to an anxious joy. How long had it been since he left the house? A few months? Was it a year, by now? To Basil, it felt like an eternity locked in his personal dungeon. She let him out, though. Only after insisting that he took a shower first... Probably for the best.

The sun was about to set when Basil made his way outside. He took a while in the shower... He always does, nowadays. Once he gets in, he doesn't want to leave. Would Aubrey still be around for him? She didn't specify a place where she wanted to meet. He decided to head for the park. As he walked, he felt as if his internal organs had sunk into his flesh, leaving a gaping cavity. Probably just anxiety. That emptiness began to make its way to his head. He was passing out. He had walked more in the past 3 minutes than he had in the entire past... Forever. He lost consciousness before his head hit the grass below him.

* * *

Mari's picnics were always so fun. She had just taught Basil how to make flower crowns! Him and Sunny were sitting together. Sunny looked so cute with his on... From across the clearing, Aubrey called his name. "Basil! BASIIIIL!" Basil didn't want to get up. If Aubrey needed him so bad, she could walk over here. As if he was commanding her with his thoughts, she began running over so she could start shaking him by his shoulders violently. What had gotten into her? Basil just wanted to be left alone... He was getting tired...

* * *

"sil... Basil!"

Basil opened his eyes. Aubrey's pastel pink hair hung over him. He mumbled something to try to get her off. "He's awake! Kim, water!"

A shadow from the corner of Basil's vision handed Aubrey a bottle of water. She forced it into his mouth and barked at him to drink it. Most of it ended up on the ground, but he got enough to start regaining his thought.

"Can you sit up?" She asked him. Basil agreed with a nod. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have made you walk so far, that was stupid of me to assume you'd be alright..." She kept babbling nonsense. Was this some kind of sick joke? Aubrey was sorry? Basil was just getting what he deserved, he thought. She snapped to regain his attention.

"Basil! Stay with me, okay? Here's some more water." She handed the bottle to him. Basil began drinking by himself. "Alright... I think we'll be okay. Kim, can you...?" "Yeah. I'll be at the park if you need me." Kim replied before Aubrey could finish. "Thanks." As Kim began walking away, Aubrey stood up and walked behind Basil, sitting down so their backs were together, supporting each other.  
"Let's just sit here until you can stand back up, alright?" She asked him. "S... Sure..." His first words to her. The two sat in silence as the sun set.

* * *

Most of the light had left the town before Basil had prepared physically and mentally for what was coming. In a broken voice, he called out to the girl behind him with a simple "I'm ready." Without word, she stood up and offered her hand to the boy. He just stared.

"Come on, you said you were ready, didn't you?" She told him.

Begrudgingly, he accepted the hand, and was brought up to his feet. "I'll help you walk." She let him know. "Let's go sit at the park." "Why?" Basil couldn't help but ask. "Why... A-All of this?" Aubrey paused for a moment before attempting an answer. "I just... Let's talk when we get to the park."

The two continued their shuffle as Aubrey half carried Basil like a wounded soldier. When they made it to a bench, she gently placed him down before sitting next to him. She talked first.

"It started with me just wanting to know that you were okay. Still alive, and all. So I wrote this stupid note that ended up going... Off topic... So I got the idea that I just wanted to have a conversation with you. And then I talked to Polly after a chance run in at the store... Heard how you were treating yourself... I wanna help you, Basil."

It didn't make sense to him. No, she couldn't be serious. Why? Why does she care? Basil knows he's worthless. He knows nobody else should care about him.

"I don't deserve your help." He said to her. It had been so long since Aubrey had heard his voice. It sounded so... Broken. Emotionless.

"Maybe." She responded. "You made a bad decision that led to everyone else getting more hurt than they would've been... Mostly Hero. You must really care about Sunny, huh?"

Basil was quick to rebut. "I did. He's gone now."

"So, it was all to protect Sunny, wasn't it?"

"... Yeah."

The two shared a silence together as Aubrey deliberated on what to do next. "Even then, I can't stop myself from feeling bad for you. I don't know what it is, exactly, but I look at you now and I just see this deep sadness. It's so visible in every aspect of you... I can only imagine how you feel."

"It's what I deserve."

"Do you really think that?"

"Yes."

"B-" Aubrey tried to say something, but cut herself off. After taking a break to prepare, she continued. "You haven't seen everyone else. Yeah, Hero's pissed, but he still gets things done. Kel seems like he's just confused about things, and I... I'm handling it pretty well, I think. I can't tell you how Sunny is, obviously, but I can only imagine he's getting the therapy he deserves. You're the one who's taking all of this..." She said as she flailed her arms in front of her. "... the worst." She balled her hands into a fist in front of her. "Yet, you're the one who doesn't see a therapist. You just stay inside... Just like Sunny did... I don't-" She looked Basil straight in the eyes. "I don't want you to be like Sunny! I just want you- everyone- to be happy again!"

In her rant, she failed to notice that tears were now streaming down Basil's cheeks. Quick to react, she pulled him into an embrace. "Is that... Selfish? No-" She stopped herself from thinking such things. "I don't care if it's selfish, or childish, I'm gonna make sure you're happy again. No matter what."

Basil was speechless. All he could do was cry into Aubrey's shoulder and weakly place his arms around her back. Just like Sunny? He hadn't really realized it, but she was right. He thought back to how he felt, knocking on Sunny's door, all those years ago... And went from crying to sobbing. They held each other for a bit longer. Basil continued crying, while Aubrey simply let a few sniffles break through her facade of remaining calm. Night was beginning to fall over the town, and Aubrey knew Polly would come looking for Basil if he wasn't home soon. "Let's get you back home." She told the boy.

Basil nodded. "Say the words." She said. "Ok... Let's go." Aubrey then picked him up and began carrying him back to his room.

She let him off at the front door after telling Polly about what had happened on Basil's trip. "See you tomorrow." Aubrey told him. Basil went through the motions of taking his shoes off, getting reacclimated to his own house before he returned to his cell.

A life raft had been thrown his way, and he would desperately cling onto it with everything he had.

* * *

The trees were so beautiful during the summer. Everybody used them in a different way.

Kel loved climbing them. Hero would have to make sure he didn't fall, ever the worrier.

When he wasn't watching over his brother, Hero would pick up fallen sticks to use for the fireplace, and make room for a picnic blanket.

Aubrey would bang against the tree, practicing her swing. So strong!

Sunny and Basil simply liked to sit and enjoy the shade. It was simple, but nice.

Mari liked to hang herself.

* * *

**BANG BANG BANG**

Basil was brought back to the realm of the living with a jolt. He wasn't used to being awoken so suddenly, but perhaps it was for the best. The sooner he could escape those nightmares, the better.

**BANG BANG BANG**

That noise was too loud to be the front door. It was his own bedroom door that was taking the harassment. Unable to find the words, he yelled back at whatever was causing the ruckus. "Basil, come on! We don't have all day!" Aubrey's voice called back. _Creak, creak, creak_... She finally let his door be.

Basil slid out of bed and began getting himself ready for the day. He contemplated placing a flower in his hair, but decided against it. Cursed thing. He walked out of his bedroom and shambled into the main hall, rubbing his eyes. "H... _yawn_... Hey Aubrey." The pink haired demon sat on the couch.

"Basil, it's 4 pm." She fired back. There was annoyance in her voice, with a pinch of pity for his situation outlining it. Basil was used to that treatment. "Do you... always sleep in this late?" She patted the seat of the couch next to her, beckoning him to sit. He obliged before answering.

"Yeah, I... I don't really keep track of time anymore... Speaking of which, uh, there's, um, something I wanna ask you." "Shoot." She told him.

"... How long has it been since that day at the h-hospital?"

"... Did you lose track of time?"

"I never had any track in the first place."

Aubrey took a deep breath. "One year." She said. Basil almost thought it had been longer, but a year made some logical sense.

"Alright... Alright. It's been a while, but we're gonna get you moving around more, okay Basil?"

"Okay." He responded.

The two raised themselves up from the couch and walked out the door.

Bright... It wasn't so bright last time. Basil's eyes teared up when faced with the harsh sun. Aubrey was swift to notice him wincing, handing him some sunglasses. "Kim warned me this might've happened... Here."

"Th-Thank you..." Basil meekly replied.

Aubrey stepped forward as Basil followed her blindly. Where were they going, he wondered? He thought for a moment that she may be bringing him to Kel, or Hero... God no. Anything but that. She wasn't going to do that, was she? Basil was too afraid to ask. Thankfully, they walked past the neighborhood and had Othermart in their sights. Aubrey slowed her approach and offered a hand to Basil. He instinctively reached out and grabbed it, as Aubrey pulled him into the marketplace. They weaved through the people, Aubrey holding onto Basil as if he was her child, as Basil absentmindedly looked around at everything. The store was much the same as it was one year ago, an eternal monument. Everything just seemed a bit smaller, now. Aubrey made it to her supposed destination. The bakery. Basil could smell the fresh baked bread from the kitchen as he was sat down by Aubrey. "Wait here a sec." She rushed to the counter and began speaking out of earshot. There was so much noise, he began to notice. He wasn't used to all this noise, all these people. Basil looked down at his lap as he clutched his hair tightly, whispering to himself.

"Shut up... Shut up. Shut up shut up shutupshutupshutup..." The noise did not follow his command. It remained, blocking out his thoughts as his heart rate began to raise. His anxiety was getting the better of him. Where did Aubrey go? Did she leave him alone? As he broke his gaze from below him to the counter, Aubrey was already there making her way to the boy, a piece of bread and water in hand.

Upon noticing his worried expression, her steps quickened. "Basil, what's wrong? Is everything alright?" She called out to him, placing her hands on his shaking arms. "N-Noise... Can't think..." He said back, his voice shaking.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, calm down... Deep breaths, Basil. In and out, Slowly..." Her voice managed to cut through the noise. Basil tried focusing on it, following her orders. In... Hold it... Back out... "Just like that." Aubrey noticed his efforts.

Eventually, he was able to breathe normally. The noise, it was still there, but... It wasn't as intense. There weren't as many people as he thought, looking around. It was almost quaint. He placed his hands on Aubrey's arms, signaling that it was okay to let go.

Aubrey obliged, moving to sit in front of Basil. "I'm sorry-" They both said it at the same time, cutting each other off. "Basil, why would you be sorry? That was... A panic attack, wasn't it? That isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself for that, it was my bad for bringing you here without thinking... I just wanted to get you something to eat that wasn't Gino's."

"It's okay... You're fine." Basil said. "I'm just sorry for being such a bother. I was better at hiding everything, before-" "Basil." Aubrey cut him off, holding her hand over his. "That's... I... You aren't a bother, okay? Don't worry about that."

Basil found it hard to believe that, but he knew when to play along. "Alright." he said.

Aubrey lifted her hand and handed him the bread and water. "I'm proud of you for not passing out on the way over here, but you should have this just in case." Basil nodded and accepted the offerings.

"So, uh... Aubrey struggled to find out what to say. "How are you feeling?"

"Not good." Basil responded bluntly. He had lied for 4 whole years. He was tired of lying with a "fine" or something along those lines.

"Right..." Back to the drawing board for her.

This wouldn't be easy. Aubrey knew that. Basil wasn't sure if it was even possible. He'd been trying to repress that sense of hope for the past year of his life. 

Aubrey tried being delicate. "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this sort of thing, but Kel and Hero seemed content in letting you hold yourself up in that house... They'd be doing a better job." 

"Aubrey... You're doing great." Basil wasn't sure what had come over him. He didn't feel like he said that out of obligation, but because he was genuinely thankful for everything she's done for him. Not only that, he was smiling his first genuine smile since the one shared by Sunny one year ago.

"Heh... If you say so. You keep enjoying your meal." He nodded and kept eating. He wasn't starving himself like Sunny did, but he was certainly hungry.

After finishing the bread and chugging the water in one go, he and Aubrey moved on from the bakery and back into the jungle that was Othermart. Basil insisted that he didn't need his hand held this time, as they walked side by side to the exits.

* * *

"So, uh... Is there anywhere you wanna go to... talk about things?" Aubrey asked him as they rounded the corner near the fountain. All Basil had to do was look in the direction of the old lake for her to get the idea.

"Yeah, sure." Her voice was shaken. She probably hadn't been, either. They pushed past the playing kids at the park and through the undergrowth to make it back to that same hangout spot Kel found all those years back. Walking on autopilot, Basil kept his momentum forward until he was at the very edge of the dock, eyes transfixed on the abyss below him. He could've sworn that this abyss looked back.

Aubrey sat down next to him, pulling down on his shirt. "I don't want you to fall in." She told him. Basil could barely hear her over the sound of his own thoughts. So many happy memories here. All in the photobook he gave to Sunny, now. Basil prayed it was serving him well.

"Hey, Basil..." Despite being quiet, Aubrey's final call to Basil pulled him back. "O-Oh, sorry..." He said before sitting down.

"You know, emotions are a hard thing for me to deal with. Me bullying you for so long is a testament for how I used to handle things. We all had pretty unhealthy coping mechanisms, I guess..."  
Basil agreed with a "Yeah."

"I just... I remember, last year, when Sunny came back outside, I was able to talk about what had been going on to other people after so long, and it felt... Good. What I'm trying to get at is, I'm never really gonna know how you feel unless you tell me... If that can't be right now, then fine, but I want you to know that whenever you're ready, please... Let me know."

Basil considered his options for a while. He already figured out how people would probably react, he'd talked to himself about things plenty of times. He'd tell himself about his emotions, and how there's no way out, and things would be better if he would just die. 

"Maybe... Like your photos." Aubrey interrupted his train of thought, continuing with her own. "I know I'm assuming here, but you... You liked to share your photos with us, didn't you?"

"I did."

"It probably wouldn't be the same if you just took the photos and... Kept them. Locked them away somewhere, threw them in the lake, burned them. I think that the emotions you're feeling- the emotions we're ALL feeling... Ugh, nevermind, that was a stupid analogy."

"I don't think it was stupid." There it is again. For the second time in so long, Basil had spoken while smiling a real smile. One born from happiness. He was happy... Even if only for a moment.

He collected his thoughts as he constructed what he was about to say. Every self deprecating introspection was leading up to this moment... Time to put himself out there.

"The guilt still exists. I don't think it's ever going to go away, completely. I betrayed pretty much everyone, even... Even Sunny. If it weren't for me telling that lie, suggesting that idea... He would've been better off. I'll never be able to forgive myself for something like that."

Aubrey softly planted her hand on Basil's shoulder.

"But it's better now. Now, everyone knows. Holding that truth between just me and Sunny, it ate at me- at us- like a poison. It turned me into that anxious mess you saw day after day. Now, everything's just... so... cold. It's like I'm trapped wading through a swamp, and I'm about to sink, or..."

He looked down below himself again. Down at that abyss.

"Or it's an ocean. There's no beach, or any land, or even a boat, just the ocean. And looking down there are no sharks, or fish, or anything like that. Just the ancient, bottomless water begging to envelop me, as I float on the surface... And I don't know how to swim."

Aubrey took a moment to take everything in. "Wow... That's deep, man." She said semi-ironically with a smile. Basil couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Seriously though..." She continued. "That's a lot. You did a good job putting it into words, I think. I know that can be the hardest part, sometimes. Even then, I don't think anything I can come up with will top that."

She congratulated Basil with a few light pats on the back.

"So you're stranded in the depression ocean, huh?" She asked.

"It would seem so."

"Then what does that make me?"

Basil was surprised at her question. He gave it some thought. A boat? No, that's too easy. It's not that easy to get out. An island? Maybe... That's when it hit him.

"A drain. Pumping away the water somewhere else, somewhere far away." Upon hearing his answer, she closed her eyes in quiet contemplation.

"Nope." She shot back.

"Wh-What!? It's my analogy, isn't it?"

"Yeah, well, being the drain to a bottomless ocean seems kind of pointless to me."

"Oh... Right..."

"Basil, you might not be able to see it, but there is land. Me, and everyone else, we're gonna be your lighthouses. We'll show you the way... And maybe we can get a therapist involved who can teach you how to swim to it."

Basil paused, for just a moment, before looking at Aubrey with a smile.

"... I like your idea better."

**Author's Note:**

> wanted to do something that wasn't a ship, decided on exploring basil's pov after the confession. hope you liked it and you have a good rest of your day/night :)


End file.
